ProverbPerseveranceEnglish origin

A famine in England begins at the horse-manger.

Meaning: Poor grain management for livestock presages broader scarcity throughout the land.

Origin: Recorded in A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases, an undated collection published in London by Whittaker & Co. around 1880 and credited to Thomas Preston. Its earlier history hasn't been traced.

Explore another collection: Untranslatable Words

Words that capture a feeling or idea English needs a whole sentence for.

  • Jeong A deep emotional bond that forms slowly over time through shared experience — the invisib…
  • Forelsket The overwhelming, almost dizzy euphoria of falling in love — that specific state of early…
  • Friluftsliv The philosophy and practice of spending time outdoors — not as exercise or sport, but as…

Browse all untranslatable words →

Keep exploring

Explore all proverbs →